TYR MCAT 1 Evolutions Part 1: The Players Assemble
by Wendymypooh
Summary: MCAT (Major Crimes and Acts of Terrorism) is the brainchild of my friend 'TannerTexasLady' in the M7 fandom. TYR MCAT AU is about the 'Charlie' unit based in San Antonio, Texas. This first story, told in three parts, tells of the set up of Team 'Charlie' and its team members, and their first cases.
1. Chapter 1

**TYR MCAT Story #1 Evolutions Part 1: The Players Assemble**

**MCAT AU:** **MCAT (Major Crimes and Acts of Terrorism) **is the brainchild of my friend **'TannerTexasLady'** in the Magnificent Seven fandom. The idea for the **TYR MCAT AU **camewhen **'TannerTexasLady'** decided to expand the elite government unit into three units. One of those companies, 'Charlie' will be based in San Antonio, Texas.

"**Evolutions' Parts 1-3** will include excerpts from **MCAT: Strengths of Solidarity Story # 3: Turn the Page. **These excerpts include important information leading to the set-up of the San Antonio MCAT unit. The Mag 7 Characters, along with originals ones created specifically for Tanner Texas Lady's MCAT AU, will make appearances in this story.

Without Tanner Texas Lady's amazing creativity, her brain storming ideas, and friendship, this au would never have come into fruition.

**Prologue**

**Three Years Ago**

It was a dark and dreary day. Aloysius 'Teaspoon' Hunter, Texas Ranger, found it a befitting atmosphere for his dark frame of mind. His wife and helpmate of more than thirty years, was dead. He didn't know how he was going to go on without his precious Maria Elena. A shuddering sigh escaped his lips as he gazed at the elegant oak casket which held his wife's remains. He tried to listen as Father Arturo Riaz spoke solemnly, reading from the eulogy that the priest had prepared with information he and his children had provided, but his heart really wasn't in it. He couldn't think, eat, or sleep, now that his beloved wife was gone. Ever since he'd received the heartbreaking phone call a week earlier telling him his precious Maria Elena was killed in a plane crash on her trip home to her native Mexico, to visit relatives, he had been on autopilot.

"I'd like to close with us all reciting one of Maria Elena's favorite scriptures, the Twenty-Third Psalms." Father Riaz suggested.

"The Lord is my Shepherd…"

"Amen."

A chorus of somber voices echoed the priest's sentiment. Other funeral attendees rose to their feet around him, bringing Teaspoon out of his reverie. He had not realized Father Riaz had closed the eulogy with a prayer. He quickly muttered an "Amen" and rose to his feet. Stepping forward, he laid the bouquet of red and yellow roses he held onto the top of the casket, one roughened hand caressing the polished wood for a moment, his emotions threatening to overwhelm him, before he got a handle on them.

"You've taken my heart and soul with you darlin'. I don't know how I'm supposed to get on without you here by my side. I'll love you forever, Maria Elena, and I cannot say goodbye, because you'll always be with me. So instead, I'll say Vaya con Dios, and I'll see you soon."

He lifted one hand to swipe at the moisture welling up in his eyes, only to see a white handkerchief come into his blurry view. Teaspoon lifted his head and looked into the sorrowful dark brown eyes of his son, Ramirez. Ramon, as family and friends called him, was finding it hard to control his own emotions. Seeing his son in such an emotional upheaval helped Teaspoon to put aside his sorrow, and prompted him to embrace his child. The two men held each other tightly, grieving for the loss of the special woman who'd been taken from them.

"Pop, how are we goin' to get along without her?" Ramon choked out as the embrace ended.

Teaspoon used the back of his hand to wipe the tears from his blue eyes. "I don't know, Son."

"We'll do it because it's what Mama would have wanted," a female voice said close to them.

Emma Hunter Cain stood a few feet away from them, her soft brown eyes filled with tears, and a wobbly smile on her face. Her husband, Sam, stood directly behind her, one supportive hand on his wife's shoulder, and the other holding onto their three-year-old son, Austin. Six-year-old Melinda Cain stood solemnly beside her mother, one small hand clutching at the skirt of the dark suit Emma was wearing.

"C'mere darlin',"

His daughter didn't need any further prodding to close the distance between them. Teaspoon held open his arms and Emma gratefully stepped into his embrace. Ramon hovered close, one hand stayed firm on his father's shoulder, while the other gently rubbed his older sister's back.

Sam crowded close, wanting to offer whatever support he could to his grieving family. His heart ached at the loss of his mother-in-law. Maria Elena Hunter had been a remarkable woman indeed, strong willed, feisty, and with a heart of gold. She had a capacity to love that rivaled his own mother, and he would truly miss her.

"Samuel, let me take the children to the car."

He turned to see his mother, Marian Cain, standing directly behind him. Marian was silver haired, with blue eyes, and a rounded figure clothed in a conservative dark suit and white lace blouse. She was holding a lace handkerchief in one hand and her eyes were red rimmed from crying. She had been close to Maria Elena, too. Sam used to marvel at how well the two women got along, even though they were as different as night and day.

"Alright," Sam agreed. He set Austin on the ground next to his sister, and crouched down before his children. "You two go with Grandma."

"Why is Poppa crying?" Melinda asked solemnly.

Sam swallowed. "Do you remember what your mom and I told you about Nana?"

"She went to heaven to be with God." Melinda said.

"That's right. God decided it was time for her to go live with him."

"Will we see her again?" Austin asked, his blue eyes troubled.

Sam choked up and it was then Marian decided to step in. She placed a comforting hand on her son's shoulder as she said, "We'll all get to see your Nana again when it is time for us to go to Heaven. Now, you two, come along with me. Your Mom and Dad will be along directly."

Austin and Melinda took one of their grandmother's offered hands and allowed her to lead them away. Sam stood and watched them go for a moment, before turning back to the small grieving group, which consisted of his wife, her brother, and her father. Other mourners, including Emma's friends and co-workers from the Criminal Intelligence Unit, his and Teaspoon's fellow Texas Rangers and their spouses, Ramon's partner and his wife, and members of the SAPD, and more offered their condolences as they passed the family and headed toward their individual cars.

Soon only the Hunters and Cains stood around the new grave. Each remembered the warm, vibrant woman who had gone ahead to light a path for them to follow when their lives were over.

An aristocratic looking man with graying brown hair and eyes, dressed in a crisp black pinstriped suit, stood a short distance away observing the family in their time of sadness, hesitant to intrude upon them. On his arm was a matronly woman wearing a conservative black dress, who periodically dabbed at the corners of her blue eyes with a lace handkerchief, and sniffled occasionally.

Orrin Travis was a man of action, who made informed decisions, and carried them out in a decisive manner. He was used to issuing orders and having them obeyed. Not since his earliest days as a new rookie in uniform had he ever felt so hesitant. He had met Teaspoon Hunter back in their earlier days at a law enforcement seminar, and they became fast friends and colleagues. The years were busy ones for both of them and kept them from spending as much time with one another as they would have both liked. The availability of modern technology allowed the two friends to remain in touch via telephone calls and assorted emails. Many letters and packages traveled back and forth between Teaspoon's ranch in Satchel, Texas, and Travis's home in Denver, Colorado. They shared day-to-day news, family growth, and celebrated a multitude of birthdays, anniversaries, holidays, and other celebrations with one another. There were more than a few vacations shared between the two couples, as Evie Travis and Maria Elena Hunter had bonded the first time they met, and the foursome shared strong, lasting friendships.

It had only been two years ago, when the four of them had last shared some relaxing moments together, at a law enforcement convention held in Washington, DC, where both men were scheduled to give speeches. Since the convention was around the Hunters' anniversary, plans changed so that their wives could accompany them to DC, and once the convention was over, they shared many special moments. None of them had the slightest idea it would be the last event the four of them would spend together.

"Orrin?"

He turned his head toward his wife, "Yes, my love."

Evie smiled at her husband, "It's not so much what you say to him that matters, just that you are here to support him."

"I know." Her words gave him the courage he needed to approach Teaspoon.

As he and Evie made their way toward the gravesite, they saw Sam and Emma move away arm-in-arm, and after another moment, Ramon, too, headed toward the location of the few remaining parked cars, leaving Teaspoon alone at his wife's grave.

He did not want to leave her alone in the cold, dark ground. Maria Elena had always craved the light, enjoying soaking in the sunshine as she worked in the garden or taking long walks with him. Her final resting place needed to be more appropriate. Full of the warmth and sunshine she loved so much, instead her earthly body would be covered with dirt and darkness. It was wrong; just plain wrong that such a beautiful person was taken too early from the ones she loved so much. He did not know how he was going to go on without her.

"Aloysius."

The familiar voice interrupted Teaspoon's dark thoughts, and after swiping a hand across his moist eyes, he turned to face his long time friend and law enforcement colleague.

"Orrin, Evie, I appreciate you comin'. Maria Elena adored you both very much, and she would have loved to have been here to see you."

"We loved her too," Evie said in a shaky voice, as her eyes filled with tears once again, over the loss of her dear friend.

Teaspoon stepped forward and took Evie into his arms. He felt Orrin place a hand upon his shoulder in silent support and he appreciated the gesture. The threesome stayed that way for a few moments, sharing their grief for the loss of their fourth.

"The days ahead are going to be hard ones for you, Aloysius, but you don't have to spend them alone. Embrace the support of your children, lean on them as much as they lean on you through this difficult time. Reach out to your friends and let them be your sounding board, your strength," Orrin told his friend, his voice hoarse with emotion. "Day or night, you call me if you need to talk."

His eyes were watering again, but Teaspoon did not care. He was a man smart enough to take the help and support he needed, and while he did not think anyone could possibly help him through the lonely, sad days ahead for him at that moment, he would do as Orrin asked. "I will. I promise, old friend."

Together the three friends walked away from Maria Elena's grave and toward Teaspoon's waiting family.

**Texas Rangers Headquarters**

Teaspoon picked up a picture frame from his desk and wrapped it carefully in newspaper, before placing it on top of the rest of his personal items he had gathered in a cardboard box. He was surprised to find out just how much stuff there really was to pack away. Citations from his years in law enforcement first as a uniformed officer, and then as a Texas Ranger, drawings from his grandchildren, his favorite coffee mug, pictures of Maria Elena and his kids, and assorted other things.

When he was done packing, he glanced around the office to make sure there wasn't anything else he had overlooked, before he headed out to his truck. Sam chose that moment to appear in the doorway leading into his office.

"You sure you really want to do this?"

Teaspoon glanced up at his son-in-law, the new Captain for 'D' division of the San Antonio Texas Rangers Unit. "It's a done deal, Son. It is time for this old Ranger to turn in his shield and gun. I'll let firebrands like you take over bringin' in the bad guys."

"This place isn't goin' to be the same without you." Sam said. "If you change your mind, I'm sure Archer will be more than willin' to give you your job back."

"I'm not goin' to change my mind," Teaspoon said as he picked up the box of his belongings and started for the door. "The squad is now yours to lead. Run with it, Son."

Sam lowered his head, his own emotions getting the best of him. He greatly respected the man before him, both as a father figure, and as one of the best damn Texas Rangers, he had ever known. To know Teaspoon thought so highly of him, and his skills, meant the world to him. "I'll do my best to make you proud."

"You already do," Teaspoon said firmly.

Sam raised his head and locked eyes with Teaspoon for a moment before saying, "Is there anythin' I can help you with?"

"You can grab that other box and walk me out to my truck."

"Sure."

Sam grabbed the aforementioned box off the top of the oak desk and followed Teaspoon out of his office.

Teaspoon stopped in his tracks the moment he walked out into the bullpen, as the Rangers under him lined up around their desks and saluted him military style. Emotion welled up inside of him at their show of deep respect and honor. He had made it abundantly clear to his people that he did not want a party to celebrate his retirement. He reckoned he should have been suspicious when they had all amicably agreed to his request. Another thought crossed his mind and he turned to look at his son-in-law.

"Disobeyin'orders already?"

Sam grinned, "Nope, just makin' decisive ones."

The older man chuckled before turning his attention back onto the crowded room. He shifted the box he held into one arm and raised his own hand in a return to salute. "You are the best damn Rangers I've ever worked with and I'm proud to have been your captain. I know that you will all continue to be an invaluable asset to the department, under Captain Cain's supervision."

Amid well wishes and a chorus of 'Jolly Good Fellow', Teaspoon made his way down the aisle of Rangers to the door, with Sam following behind him. He did not look back, but felt the sensation of several eyes upon him as he circled the building and stepped into the parking lot, and walked to his truck He placed the box he held into the back, and unlocked the driver's door, while Sam put the box he carried into the truck bed as well.

"Tell Emma supper's on me tonight." He told Sam as he slid in behind the wheel and started the engine.

"I will."

"See you later,"

Teaspoon pulled out of the parking lot and headed the truck toward the Hunter ranch.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter One**

**Present day**

Hunter Ranch- Cain House-7 o'clock in the morning

Emma Cain stared out of the living room window watching her father heft several large fence posts into the back of his beat-up old Ford. In the three years since Maria Elena had died, Teaspoon had worked non-stop around the ranch. From the moment the sun broke free from its evening resting place, Teaspoon was up and running. If he was not out in the stables helping Raul Gonzales, the ranch foreman take care of the livestock, he was putting the horses through their paces, or doing the necessary repairs around the ranch. Both Sam and Ramon had offered to aide him on the days they were off from work, but Teaspoon had dismissed their assistance. Since his retirement from the Texas Rangers, Emma knew keeping busy was important to her father; but she feared he was going to work himself into an early grave.

She could not bear the thought of losing her father so soon after her mother died. She and Ramon had tried to talk to their father about lightening up his workload, but he laughingly waved off their concerns, assuring them both, he was not leaving them any time soon. That had ended the discussion, but neither Ramon nor she was satisfied with how the conversation ended. As she continued to watch her father load the fence posts, Emma mused over a way to brooch the subject with her father again.

She was still standing at the window musing, when Sam came into the living room looking for her. He stood in the doorway of the living room watching his wife gaze out the window. Sam loved how the sunlight, pooling in through the open curtains, cast her red hair in a fiery glow. The long, curly strands drawn back by silver clips exposed her graceful neck, and profiled the classic lines of her exquisite face. He could tell by the set of her pursed lips that she was thinking hard, and he did not need to look out the window to know with whom her thoughts were.

Teaspoon was a constant source of worry for Emma, regardless of the fact that she knew just how capable her father was in taking care of himself. Ever since his mother-in-law, Maria Elena had passed away, Emma had fretted over her father's emotional and physical well-being. The fact Teaspoon was a highly trained ex-Texas Ranger, who had lived and loved hard all his life, and was in excellent physical health for a man of his age, seemed to have totally slipped his wife's mind. She was letting her own personal fears affect her relationship with her father. Sam hoped she got a handle on them before she drove a wedge between herself and Teaspoon.

Crossing the space between them, he wrapped his arms around his wife's waist. Emma leaned back into the embrace and let out a sigh. He gave her waist a gentle squeeze, placing a tender kiss on her temple. "You've got to let him lead his own life Emma."

"I know…" Emma replied, turning in his arms to look up at him with troubled brown eyes. "I just worry about him so much."

"You don't think that he doesn't worry about you or Ramon or me?" Sam queried. "Our line of work isn't exactly known to be high on personal safety Emma, but you don't see Teaspoon tryin' to tell us how to live our lives. He trusts us to use the skills we have acquired and our common sense to make the right decisions to keep ourselves safe, and you have to give him the same courtesy. What happened to Maria Elena was a tragic accident that none of us could have foreseen, and all of us have to work through our grief over losing her in our own way. Don't let your fear of losing him cause permanent damage between the two of you."

"If I promise to try harder to not worry about him, will you do me a favor?" Emma asked.

"Depends on what the favor is?"

Emma chuckled at the suspicious tone in her husband's voice. He knew her far too well. "Will you talk to him and see if you can convince him to slow down a little or allow someone to help him with some of the more strenuous work around the ranch?"

"Emma," Sam began, but Emma reached up and placed a finger against his lips.

"Please, Sam, for me?" She gave him her most beguiling smile and Sam felt his resistance begin to melt. He had always been a sucker for her smiles and if talking to Teaspoon again would help ease some of her fear, who was he to deny her request?

"Alright, but this is the last time," Sam reluctantly agreed. "I mean it."

"Thank you." Emma cemented her appreciation by giving her husband a kiss.

Sam reciprocated by deepening the kiss, prodding her lips open so his tongue could begin an intimate dance with hers eliciting a moan from Emma, setting his libido racing. He took a step forward, pressing Emma back against the window as the kiss continued, one hand reaching up to cup the back of her neck, the other to caress her breast.

Emma's hands wandered over his shoulders and backside, slowly caressing downward until she cupped his firm bottom, eliciting a growl from within him.

"Samuel, don't forget to…" Marian Cain's voice preceded her appearance into the living room by only a few seconds, but it was enough to jog Emma and Sam out of the intimate moment they were enjoying. Her words trailed off as she took in the cozy embrace her son and daughter-in-law were sharing. "Oh my,"

Emma hurriedly dropped her hands from her husband's rear, while Sam reluctantly pulled his arms from around her waist. He grinned sheepishly at Emma, as embarrassment flooded through both of them. His wife's eyes were shiny with passion and mischievousness, too. He quietly warned her that she had better not make the situation even more awkward. Like the Hunter men, his wife had a wicked sense of humor, and he could practically see the wheels inside her head spinning around, as she considered just how physically uncomfortable he was at that precise moment, and how she could play it up to her best advantage.

She turned around to face her mother-in-law, shifting from one foot to the other, her bottom rubbing against the front of him, making him draw in a sharp intake of breath. He heard her giggle under her breath and vowed revenge once they were alone again.

"Was there somethin' that you wanted Mom?" Sam asked resting his chin on Emma's head.

"I was just goin' to remind you not to forget that you were goin' to meet me at the mechanics on your lunch hour," Marian said, her blue eyes twinkling with amusement. She turned to leave the room, calling over her shoulder, "I enjoy havin' spontaneous sex as much as you do son, but next time try doin' it in a more appropriate place than in front of the windows or out in the open."

"Mother!" Sam felt his face flush hotter at his mother's scandalous declaration. His mother was a beautiful, vivacious woman who did not want for male companionship. Knowing his mother dated frequently was easy enough for him to accept, but being privy to any part of her sexual exploits was another thing entirely. There were just some things that should not be shared between a mother and son, and anything regarding sex was at the top of the list.

Emma snickered as she turned around to face Sam. There was more than one reason why she and her mother-in-law got along so well. Besides the devotion they each shared for Sam and their two children, Marian had a sense of humor as wicked as her own, among other similar characteristic traits. Sam had certainly had the tables turned on him when they got married, and she and Marian had become fast friends.

Sam glanced down as Emma's laughter reached his ears, frowning into her upturned face. "Keep it up Mrs. Cain and I'll turn you over my knee and give you a spankin' for misbehavin'."

"Promises, promises," She grinned up at him, her brown eyes twinkling with humor. "Unfortunately, us doin' anymore playin' is goin' to have to wait until tonight. I've got to go make sure the kids are up and gettin' ready for school, and you have to go talk to my Pop."

"Emma, can't the talk wait until tonight?" Sam asked, dreading the conversation with his father-in-law. He did not much like people telling him how to run his life, so how could he go and but into the way Teaspoon was leading his?

"Sam," His wife's voice held a pleading tone to it that he hated to hear. Emma was a strong, independent woman who seldom used emotional strings to get him to do what she wanted, but this matter of him talking to her father was obviously important to her. Hell, even he had some concerns about the way Teaspoon had kept himself running at such a fast pace ever since Maria Elena had died, but on his own accord he wouldn't intrude on personal territory. For Emma, he would do almost anything, and talking to Teaspoon seemed to fall under that heading.

"Alright, I'll go try and talk to him," Sam said, kissing her on the forehead and starting toward the front door.

"Thank you," Emma called after him and turned to watch out of the window as her husband headed down the steps of their front porch and headed across their yard toward where Teaspoon was still loading fence posts into the back of his truck.

Her attention was drawn away from the window at the sounds of small feet pattering through the house, accompanied by her son and daughter's voices greeting their grandmother in the kitchen. She headed off to oversee their getting ready for school, hoping that her husband found the right words to say to her father.

**~~TYR~~~**

Teaspoon filled his mug with coffee and added a dollop of French vanilla creamer to it, stirred the dark liquid, and took a sip of the strong brew. Most of the time he drank his coffee black, but every now and again, he added some of the flavored creamer Emma stored at his house for when she, Sam, and the kids came over for breakfast on the weekends. He yawned, took another sip of his coffee, then set it down on the counter and moved over to the pantry.

As soon as he opened the door and filled the coffee can full of kibble, Houston, Crockett, and Bowie left their patches of floor in the living room and came running. Teaspoon outsmarted their attempts to beat each other to the food bowls as he filled them, by setting them onto the counter. Once they were full and he had placed them back onto their stands, Teaspoon emptied their water dishes in the sink, and then gave them some more.

He had just finished with his task and settled into a chair at the kitchen table to enjoy his coffee and read his newspaper when someone knocked on the door. He rose and went to answer it. Rocco Juarez, his foreman, stood on the porch.

"C'mon in, Raul, and help yourself to some coffee." Teaspoon led the way back into the kitchen.

"Rosaria wanted me to ask you if you wanted some more of her salsa. She just made another batch last night." Raul poured himself a cup of coffee and joined Teaspoon at the table.

"Of course, I do," Teaspoon, declared. "She should make it a standin' order. Rosaria makes the best salsa this side of the border."

"Si, she does." Raul agreed. "Are you going to work on the fencing again today?"

Teaspoon nodded. "Yes, replacin' all the damaged fence posts and securin' the lines should take me another couple of days."

"Want some help?" Raul took a sip of his coffee.

"No. Between workin' your land and carin' for our stock, you've got enough on your plate right now."

Raul drank the rest of his coffee. "Manny almost has the black stallion saddle broken. He's going to fetch mucho dinero at auction."

"That he will," Teaspoon took another sip of his coffee. Both your sons have remarkable gifts when it comes to the horses, but Manny's got somethin' very special. I have no doubt he'll get that stallion broke no time at all."

"Manny'll be pleased you find his abilities with animals pleasing." Raul stood up. "I need to head home. Rosaria should have breakfast ready by now."

Teaspoon bid him goodbye and then set to work on fixing his own breakfast. By seven o'clock, he was finished eating and heading outside to help Rocco and his sons do the morning chores.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 2**

"Crockett, get out from under foot!" Teaspoon ordered one of his three male Australian shepherds as he hefted another fence post onto his shoulder from the large pile stacked beside the barn and carried it toward his truck. Crockett was quick to obey, giving his two brothers the perfect opportunity to jostle each other for the best position at their master's feet. "That goes for you boys, too."

Sam chuckled as he watched the crazy antics of the three dogs as they wrestled with one another for a prime spot beside Teaspoon. Bowie, Crockett, and Houston, were each nearing their tenth birthday, brothers taken from the same litter of pups from Rosita, his brother-in-law, Ramon's old dog. Seeing how the three adult dogs acted around Teaspoon, one would have thought they were much younger than they actually were.

Teaspoon placed the fence post in the back of his truck and withdrew a checkered handkerchief from his back pocket. He used it to wipe the perspiration off his face and carefully eyed the pile of fence posts loaded in the bed of the old Ford. He decided that the stack should do him for that day's work on the range, before turning his attention onto his approaching son-in-law. Sam wore an expression on his face that reminded Teaspoon of ones men tended to wear when they were about to meet their fate by firing squad, and it did not bode well with him.

Sam was a man after his own heart. He had a strict code of ethics he adhered to, lived life to its fullest, was as devoted to Emma and their children, as he was to a career in law enforcement, and treated people the way he wished to be treated. Teaspoon had worked with the younger man over the course of his own career in law enforcement, and next to his old partner, Padraic Shannon, Sam was a hell of a man to have in the middle of a crisis. They shared an easy and open relationship and had acted as sounding boards for one another on more than one occasion, so the older man couldn't imagine why Sam was acting as if he was about to meet a death squad as he approached him.

Crockett, Bowie, and Houston gave up vying for their master's attention the moment Sam neared the truck. All three sets of ears perked up, noses twitched, and tails began waving ecstatically as they turned their attention onto him. Teaspoon watched with amusement as his dogs swarmed a writhing ring of furry bodies around Sam, as each one begged for his son-in-law's full attention. Sam crouched down and patted or rubbed each dog in turn, grimacing as he received wet, slobbery kisses in return for his offered affection.

Teaspoon, seeing that Sam was fighting a losing battle against his three dogs, let out a shrill whistle. Bowie, Houston, and Crockett responded immediately to it by rushing back over to their master's side. The older man gave a curt hand signal, which the canines obeyed, and soon sprawled, on the ground around his feet.

"Thanks for the rescue," Sam grinned at Teaspoon as he stood up.

"If I hadn't intervened you would have been stuck there pettin' them all day. They are affection greedy critters." Teaspoon smiled down at the canines at his feet, before gazing over at Sam. "Now, suppose you tell me what had you lookin' so sour when you were walkin' over here?"

"That obvious, huh?" Sam sighed. At Teaspoon's node, he continued, "Emma and I were talkin' a little while ago about the way you've been pushin' yourself lately. I told her I'd come out here and talk to you."

"You really don't expect me to believe that line of horseshit do you?" Teaspoon's gaze was direct. "I know whose brainchild this conversation was."

Sam sighed again. He should have known Teaspoon would accurately identify the instigator of this early morning conversation. "Emma's worried about you Teaspoon. She sees you workin' so hard every day and is terrified you're goin' to up and die on her."

It was Teaspoon's turn to sigh. He knew his children, especially Emma, was worried about him and wished he could chase their concerns away. "I won't live my life sittin' in a rocker on my porch watchin' the world pass me by."

"No one is askin' you to do that," Sam was quick to assure him.

"Aren't they? Emma would be more than happy to see me strapped in a rocker so she could coddle me all day. Ramon thinks I should live the leisurely life of a jet-settin' man and leave the runnin' of the ranch to Raul and his sons." There was not anger in Teaspoon's voice, only exasperation. "What do you want me to do?"

"Whatever you want to do," Sam felt a twinge of disloyalty to his wife for not siding with her cause, but he could not be anything except honest with Teaspoon. He understood his father-in-law's unwillingness to let his life just pass him by. If the roles were reversed, he would be just as determined to live his life to the fullest for as long as he was given the opportunity to do so. At the same time, it troubled him to see Emma so worried about her father all the time. "My wife is one of the most level headed women around. She has a brilliant, analytical mind and has held her ground when interrogatin' suspects, but when it comes to you, she becomes a little girl again. Losin' Maria Elena was devastatin' to her, and she cannot bear to lose you, too. It kills me to see Emma worryin' so much over you. I'll do anythin' to chase those fears away from her permanently, even talk to you until I'm blue in the face."

"It's difficult for me to know that my wantin' to live my life on my own terms is hurtin' Emma," Teaspoon searched for just the right words. "A father never wants to hear that somethin' he's doin' is causin' harm of any kind to one of his children, but I can't be any different than who I am, Sam. I refuse to live my life sittin' on my butt and doin' nothin'. With Ramon, I can pretty much give him the 'I got to be my own man' speech and leave him to stew in it. I cannot use it with Emma, anymore than I could have with Maria Elena. I'm at a loss as to how to get through to Emma enough to reassure her that I'm not leavin' this earth any time soon."

"I know. I've tried tellin' her that myself, but she just won't believe me." Sam leaned over and scratched Houston behind the ear. Crockett and Bowie inched forward until their heads were in range of his hands and Sam obliged the two other dogs with a scratch apiece, before straightening up. "Maybe if you lighten up the work you do in a day's time, it'll ease her worry some."

Teaspoon considered Sam's words. "I reckon I can do that. I must admit that these old bones of mine sure get worn out by the time a day's over."

"I'll tell Emma that you decided to compromise and meet her half way." Sam turned to head back to his and Emma's house. "I best head and eat afore Emma and I have to leave for work."

"Tell those grandkids of mine I'll be expectin' them at the barn after school to help me feed the foals."

"I'll make sure mom knows it's all right for them to head over to help you before they do their homework." Sam said as he walked away.

Teaspoon nodded and gestured to the dogs to get into the back of the truck as he watched Sam walk back to his house. He knew that the discussion of him doing too much was not permanently settled, but he chose not to dwell on it. For now, he had other things to occupy his time.

**Cain House**

"Melinda Leigh, stop talkin' with your mouth full and finish eatin' your breakfast. We've got to hightail it out of here in ten minutes or you're goin' to be late for school." Emma scolded her daughter as she finished packing lunches for Melinda and her son Austin.

"All done Ma." Austin made the declaration after finishing his glass of milk.

Emma glanced up from her own plate of food she had gone back to eating after she had finished packing the kids' lunches, and smiled at her son. Austin wore a milk mustache above the endearing smile that he wore on his cherubic features that were so much like his father's. Austin was the spitting image of Sam, except that his sandy blonde hair was liberally sprinkled with red highlights he had inherited from her.

"Wipe your mouth, and then go brush your teeth." Emma directed as she placed her own dishes in the sink and then cleared Austin's from the table.

"Okay Ma," Austin used his napkin on his face and then bolted from his chair and practically bowled Sam over as he exited the kitchen.

"Slow down speedy, we don't have collision insurance," Sam instructed his son with a laugh.

"Okay, dokay," Austin slowed down to a walk as he continued toward the bathroom.

"Hi darlin'," Sam tousled Melinda's hair as he passed the table and moved to give Emma another kiss. "Mmm…scrambled eggs and toast, did you save any for me?"

"In the warmin' oven," Emma said. "How did the talk go with Pop?"

"About as well as I expected." Sam took his plate of food out of the warming oven and then fished a fork out of the dish drainer before turning his attention back to Emma.

"Damn. I was afraid of that."

"He did agree to a compromise," Sam told her around a bite of eggs.

"He did?" Surprise blossomed on Emma's face, followed by hope. "What did he agree to?"

"He agreed to lessen the load of work he does in a day's time. Take the olive branch he's offerin' Emma," Sam's gaze was direct on his wife's face.

Emma chewed on her bottom lip. She knew that Sam was right. A compromise from her father on the subject of him overdoing was more than she had hoped for. "I'll take the olive branch. It is better than continuin' to fight with Pop. It won't change the fact that I'll still worry about him, but I suppose that comes with lovin' folks."

"Good," Sam smiled at her, understanding how hard it had been for her to concede.

"You better hurry up and finish your breakfast. Can't have the Captain bein' late for work," Emma laughed and dodged the swat Sam aimed at her rear as she left the kitchen.

Ten minutes later, Sam, Emma and the children were headed up the driveway in Sam's S.U.V. The elder Cains dropped their children off at Brown Elementary School before continuing into San Antonio to the Department of Public Safety building. Sam escorted Emma to the door of the Criminal Intelligence Division, kissed her, and then headed down to the Texas Rangers office.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter Three**

Three days later…

Teaspoon lathered soap into his hands and then scrubbed his face. He splashed cool water onto his face to wash away the soap, before turning off the faucets and reaching for the hand towel hanging on the rack over the toilet. He dried his face and hands, before combing through his scraggly hair. When he felt that his appearance was presentable, Teaspoon left the bathroom and headed toward the back door. Crockett, Bowie, and Houston swarmed around him the moment he stepped out the back door into the yard. Teaspoon spent a couple of minutes patting each canine before he started walking toward Sam and Emma's house. Although he was perfectly capable of cooking a decent meal for himself, most nights he took supper with his daughter and her family.

He rather enjoyed spending time with Sam, Emma, and his grandchildren. Tonight Marion Cain would be joining them as well and he looked forward to the battle of wits the two often engaged in when they were together. Where Maria Elena had been quiet and conservative, Marion was lively and talkative. His late wife had had exotic features and Marion had Nordic ones. The two women were as different as night and day, but they had been good friends nevertheless.

Melinda met Teaspoon at the Cains' front door. She swung open the door with a glad cry, "Poppa," and barely allowed him entrance into the house before she flung herself at him.

Teaspoon closed the door behind him before swinging Melinda up into his arms. "Mindy Pooh, Poppa loves you."

"Mindy Pooh loves Poppa too." Melinda, with delight shining in her hazel eyes, recited the phrase the two of them had greeted each other with since she was a small child.

Running feet signaled Teaspoon to the realization that his grandson would be joining him and Melinda in the entranceway at any moment, and braced him for the impact. Austin was a whirlwind of activity when he was excited and often did not come to a stop until he had run into something. Holding Melinda on one shoulder with one hand, Teaspoon lowered the other to protect his family jewels just in time to prevent his grandson from hitting him there with his head.

"Poppa!" Austin cried out with glee, his blue eyes lighting up with happiness as he darted around the corner and torpedoed into the protective hand the older man held out.

"Boo Bear!" Teaspoon exclaimed, his lined face beaming at his grandson as he lowered Melinda to the ground so he could swing her brother up into the air as he had done with her.

Teaspoon and the children were still greeting each other a few minutes later when Emma came into the room to rescue her father. "You two go wash up for supper," she instructed, giving Melinda and Austin a push toward the hallway as she stepped forward to give her father a hug." Hi Pop, did you have a good day?"

"I did. Got most of the fence posts repaired or replaced where needed. Another day or two and I'll be finished with the job."

It was on the tip of Emma's tongue to suggest that he allow one of the ranch hands, Manuel or Enrique, to finish the job, but she didn't say it. She really did not want to have another argument with her father over his overdoing. On some level, she knew she was being unreasonable in her fear, yet, somehow she could not get past worrying about his health. Her fear of losing her father was terrifying to her and she seemed unable to allow fate to dictate how her father's life was going to turn out.

"Pop, I…,"

Teaspoon pressed a finger against Emma's lips. "I fully meant it when I told Sam I'm willin' to compromise." Teaspoon told her. "You need to hold up your end of the deal. I am done discussin' how you or Ramon thinks I should spend my life. None of us know how much time we have left on this earth, and I for one, am not goin' to waste one moment of mine sittin' on the sidelines watchin' it go by."

There was no anger in her father's voice as he spoke, but Emma recognized both the firmness and finality in his words. He had made his final decision on the matter and the topic of his health was now closed. Emma sighed. She'd known that sooner or later her father was going to dig in his heels and draw a line she didn't want to cross, but hadn't been able to stop herself nevertheless.

"I never meant to try and tell you how to live your life Pop." Emma stated her gaze direct on her father's face.

Teaspoon's smile was gentle as he gazed at her. "I know you didn't, Darlin'. Losin' your Mama had been a painful thing for all of us, but she would not want us to spend our days thinkin' on what could happen. She would want us all to live our lives to their fullest potential. Let's do that from here on out."

"Alright," Emma blinked back the tears, which had formed in her eyes as Teaspoon was talking. "I can't promise that I won't fuss and worry about you from time to time, but I'll try hard to not let it get out of hand."

They shared another hug before walking arm in arm into the kitchen

Sam's attention was averted from the conversation with his mother, and onto his wife and father-in-law. He took in the evidence of tears on his wife's almost serene expression before raising questioning eyes to Teaspoon.

Teaspoon understood the unspoken question in his son-in-law's eyes and gave and imperceptive nod. Sam felt relief settle over him at the knowledge that Teaspoon and Emma had finally come to an agreement over the issue of him physically exerting himself too much.

Sam decided he did not need to know the details of the conversation, as long as the matter was settled. He flashed his father-in-law a smile. "Are your jewels still intact?"

"Samuel!" Marion swatted her son on the arm as Emma glared at her husband and father in turn, as Teaspoon chuckled in response to Sam's comment.

"I've become pro at running interference between my whirlwind grandson and certain parts of my anatomy."

Sam threw his head back and roared, earning him another glare from both women.

"Really, Pop, you shouldn't encourage him," Emma told her father disapprovingly.

"Encourage me?" Sam gave an indignant cry. "He's worse than I am."

Teaspoon grinned at his son-in-law. "Do as I say…."

"Not as I do," Marion finished the end of the quote for Teaspoon. "I'm afraid my son has never been too clear on the 'not as I do' part."

"Hey, what is this, pick on Sam night?" Sam asked glancing from his mother to Teaspoon, to his wife.

"Aw, poor baby," Emma kissed Sam to take away the sting of their teasing. "You know we love you."

"I wonder sometimes," Sam kissed her back, setting the bottle of salad dressing mix he had been shaking onto the counter so he could embrace his wife.

"I keep tell them there's a time and a place to get naked, and it isn't when their parents or children are present." Marion's blue eyes held a mischievous glint in them as she nodded past Teaspoon to the kitchen doorway where Melinda and Austin stood watching their parents kiss.

Teaspoon snorted in response to Marion has wicked sense of humor, as Sam and Emma broke off their kiss and with flushing cheeks, and set to work finishing the rest of the dinner preparations. Teaspoon and Marion corralled the children into helping them set the table, and soon the family was seated around it enjoying their meal.

**~~TYR~~**

Two hours later found Teaspoon sitting before a warm fireplace, nestled in his favorite recliner, an equine magazine turned to an article he was reading, and an open bottle of Budweiser on the table next to the chair, listening to the news on the television. He had called Houston, Crockett, and Bowie in for the night, and the three canines were sprawled in comfortable positions around the family room.

Teaspoon itched his left foot with the toes of his right one as he lifted the bottle of Bud to his lips and took a swig of cold beer. It was at that moment that his telephone started ringing and he fumbled to pick up the cordless from its base on the table. "Hello."

"Aloysius, how's life treating you?"

"Orrin you old son of a gun, what rock did you crawl out from under?" Teaspoon inquired, recognizing the voice of his oldest friend and law enforcement colleague, Orrin Travis.

Laughter erupted from the phone making Teaspoon's smile widen. "The same one you did, you crotchety old goat. How's the family?"

"They're doin' good. Melinda and Austin are growing like weeds. Ramon just made Homicide detective on the S.A. P. D. He is thriving on being a uniform, despite mine and Sam's attempts to persuade him to prep for the Rangers. Sam's stepped into my shoes quite nicely as Captain of 'D' squad, and the CID could not get along without my girl. How's Evie?"

"As beautiful and energetic as ever, she keeps me on my toes," Teaspoon heard the warmth of affection Travis held for his life companion in the deep timbre of the other man's voice. He felt a stab of pain slice through him as he wished again that his Maria Elena was still living.

The sound of Travis's voice broke through his reverie. "Aloysius, this call is more than a social one."

"I'm listenin'."

"It has been impressed upon me by higher ups that it is time to expand MCAT. Despite all the odds that were stacked against them, MCAT has excelled at being an efficient and successful government team. Two more satellite units will be formed. Bravo Company will be based here in Denver at the MCAT compound, while the other is going to be based in San Antonio."

Teaspoon felt his blood begin stirring in a way it had not since he had retired from the Texas Rangers. He had followed the progress of MCAT with much interest, curious to see if a specialized task force would pass muster. It had far exceeded his own expectations and he knew that a large part of MCAT's success rested solely on Travis's shoulders, and the men he'd selected to form the first unit. After all, Travis had handpicked the core seven members himself, in the form of an almost legendary ATF team headed up by Chris Larabee.

"Where do I come in?"

"I want you to head up the Charlie Team as the Administrative Chief Officer of MCAT Operations. You will have a hand in picking the field captain and other members who'll make up the unit, along with Chris Larabee."

Travis had given him plenty to ponder. His mind raced with the pros and cons, which came with a job offer like Travis, had made to him. He would not be in the field with this new MCAT unit being formed, as he would have as captain of the Texas Rangers, but he would still be an active member of an elite team.

"Aloysius you still there?"

"I'm here," Teaspoon acknowledged. "You've certainly made me an enticing offer, Orrin. I am going to have to do some ponderin' on it. When will you need an answer?"

"A.S.A.P." Orrin spoke plainly. "I've already got Chris Larabee screening potential candidates for both units."

"There's somethin' we need to get straight before I accept the offer. One, I am not a yes man who can be manipulated into doing somethin' against my own personal ethics. Two, I want to offer Sam the position of Field Captain for Charlie Company, and I want Emma placed on the team as well."

"Aloysius," Orrin started to respond, but Teaspoon cut him off.

"I understand that they'll have to undergo the proper security checks and trainin' as any other candidate does, Orrin. I just want them placed at the top of the pile of potential candidates. Sam has an impeccable record with S.A.P.D. and the Rangers. He has strong leadership abilities, a cool mind, and twenty years experience in law enforcement. Emma has a fine analytical mind, knows the ins and outs of all types of information gatherin' apparatus, is at the top of her field as a profiler, and has almost twenty years in law enforcement under her belt."

Orrin chuckled. "I'm fully aware of what talented candidates both Sam and Emma are for MCAT, so you can stop crowing at any time. I have a question for you."

"Ask away."

"What makes you think Sam or Emma is going to want to leave their current positions to join MCAT?"

"I don't," Teaspoon replied. "At least not where Emma's concerned, but Sam's been avidly followin' MCAT in the press ever since its inception. I can almost guarantee he'll jump at the chance to join MCAT once I've shared this conversation with both of them."

"Talk it over with them as soon as possible and get back to me on your decisions. You'll have to get me Sam and Emma's records A.S. A. P. so I can place them at the top of the pile Chris Larabee is going through."

"Give me forty eight hours to discuss this with Sam and Emma and you'll have your answer." Teaspoon vowed.

"It's a done deal. Goodnight."

"Night, Orrin."

Teaspoon hung up the phone and settled back into his recliner. Travis's proposal had certainly given him a lot to consider. He glanced at the Australian shepherd clock hanging over the fireplace and saw that it read eleven o'clock. Too late to call Sam and fill him in on his conversation with Travis. He knew Sam was going to be just as intrigued and excited about it as he was. He had told Travis the truth. Both of them had followed MCAT's progress from day one. Every new article in their law enforcement magazines, press releases in local newspapers, and on the news, had made each of them want to be a part of MCAT. Who wouldn't want to be a part of such an elite team of federal agents? Chris Larabee had used his tremendous leadership abilities, coupled with years of law enforcement training on both state and local levels, to forge an eclectic group of people into a cohesive unit.

He looked forward to meeting the man who had effectively led the ATF Team Seven for several years before it was disbanded, and MCAT was formed. Against all odds, Chris Larabee had fused together a remarkable team of accomplished men and women.

Teaspoon took another swig of his beer and then stood up. His bed was calling to him and he was an early riser no matter how well he slept during the night.

"C'mon boys, time for bed."

The three canines scrambled to their paws and trotted after their master as he headed down the hallway to his bedroom.

Sleep eluded Teaspoon as he contemplated the proposal Orrin had presented to him. It was no little thing to be asked to become a member of such an elite federal team like MCAT. While the position of Administrative Chief Officer of MCAT Operations would not have him on active duty in the field, he would still be in an advisory capacity. He understood that time was of the essence for Travis to fill his position, and as well as others on the team and he made the decision to talk to Emma and Sam the following evening, so that they could give Orrin their answers quicker.

**5:30 the next evening…**

"Pop what's so urgent that you needed us to stop by here first, before we went home?" Emma asked as she and Sam entered the main house.

"Emma we haven't even been here for five seconds," Sam protested. "Let's sit down and give Teaspoon a chance to tell us what's on his mind before you start interrogatin' him."

Teaspoon could see the underlying fear in his daughter's eyes and mentally chastised himself. He had not realized his message for Sam and Emma to come to his house after work would have such an alarming effect on Emma. He had hoped their talk the night before would have eased Emma's mind that everything was okay with him.

"Sam's right, Emma. There's nothin' wrong. I didn't mean to scare you. I just received an important call last night that I thought both of you would like to know about, and it was too late after I received it to call you."

"What was the call about?" Sam was intrigued.

Teaspoon gestured for his son-in-law and daughter to move into the living room. He seated himself into his favorite chair and waited for Sam and Emma to sit down. "Orrin Travis was the person I received the call from."

Sam leaned forward on the couch. "And?"

"He informed me that MCAT is expandin'. Two additional satellite units will be formed; one will be based in Denver, and the other will be here in San Antonio. Travis offered me the position of Administrative Chief Officer of MCAT Operations."

"Are you goin' to accept it?" There was a hint of disapproval in Emma's voice. "I thought you'd given up…"

Teaspoon frowned at her. "Compromise remember?"

Emma bit back the argument rising up within her. She swallowed hard and felt it travel all the way down to her stomach. "Never thought compromisin' could be this hard."

A gentle smile flickered across Teaspoon's face at the disgruntled expression Emma wore. "If compromisin' was so easy, folks would be doin' it all the time. Now before you blow a gasket, let me finish talkin' and then we'll discuss things."

"Alright," Emma reluctantly agreed.

"I will be carryin' out my responsibilities behind a desk, not in the field. While I'll be overseein' things regardin' Charlie Company on an administrative level, the Field Captain will be in charge of the unit."

He looked pointedly at his son-in-law. Sam felt a twinge of excitement flood through him as Teaspoon continued, "I'm not promisin' that you'll get the position, but Travis will see to it that your file gets placed at the top of the stack if you want to submit it."

"Damn right I do." Sam's words were automatic. He glanced at Emma. "Life changin' decision and all we'll be doin' some discussin', but I want to submit my records for consideration."

Emma nodded. She knew how important an opportunity this was for Sam and she was ready to support him however far it went. "What about 'D' company? Who'd step into your place as Captain?"

"Tyler Murdock." Sam and Teaspoon said together, and then exchanged a knowing look.

"It was my second choice for the position if you'd turned it down." Teaspoon explained.

"Tyler's a good man. He'll make a fine captain." Sam said.

Teaspoon turned his attention onto Emma. "I know that you enjoy your work at the CID, but your full potential is bein' wasted. Travis is goin' to place your records on the top as well. It will be totally up to you whether or not you want to carry through with it."

"It never crossed my mind to leave CID," Emma stated with surprise." What about our kids? How would workin' together affect our lives?"

"I'll leave the answer to your questions for you and Sam to work out Emma. As for whether or not I am goin' to accept the position Travis offered me, I am. It's too good a position to pass up."

"How long do we have before Travis needs and answer?" Sam asked.

"Forty-eight hours."

"We'll have an answer for you ASAP." Sam took Emma's hand in his. "C'mon Emma, we best head to the house. I'm sure the kids are chompin' at the bit to see us."

"You comin' over for supper Pop? Ramon stopped by CID on his lunch break to chat and I invited him over to eat too."

Teaspoon cocked an eyebrow at his daughter. "This isn't another set up for you and your brother to try and get me to spend the rest of my days sittin' in a rocker and watchin' the world go by, is it?"

"No, Pop, I swear. We have not seen Ramon much lately since he made Homicide. I thought it would be nice to visit with him. The kids really miss their uncle." Emma's tone was earnest as she answered her father.

Teaspoon did not apologize for the question. The last two times his son had been out to the ranch, he and Emma had teamed up to try and talk him into lightening his work load or taking an extended cross country vacation. He had put a halt to both discussions by leaving Emma and Sam's house. "I'll look forward to supper then. I'll see you after I finish with the evenin' chores."

"Alright, Pop." Emma gave Teaspoon a kiss on his cheek before she and Sam left.


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter Four**

Dinner was enjoyable for the Hunter's and Cain's. Ramon was filled in on Teaspoon's call from Orrin Travis over dessert. He raised objections that were firmly shot down by Teaspoon. Just as he had done with Emma, Teaspoon explained to his son that he had to live his life the way he saw fit, and that included taking the position with MCAT. Ramon reluctantly accepted defeat. He realized from the glint in his father's eyes that Teaspoon had been pushed far enough and he risked creating a rift between the two of them that might never be resolved. Losing one parent was hard enough to deal with; losing another was out of the question.

After dessert was over, Teaspoon headed back to his house, and Ramon left, leaving the Cain's alone. Emma and Sam worked together to get Melinda and Austin bathed and into bed. After each child was read a story, and their prayers were said, Austin and Melinda finally drifted off to sleep. Emma and Sam retired to their bedroom. "Pop certainly gave us a lot to think about." Emma said as she sat down at her vanity table and began wiping the makeup from her face with a moist facial cloth.

"Yeah he did." Sam sat down on the end of their bed and toed off his boots. "What would you say if I told you that I want to take the job with MCAT, regardless of the position?"

Emma gazed at him through the mirror attached to her vanity table. "I knew that the moment Pop told you he requested Orrin Travis to put your jacket on top of the candidates pile."

Sam finished unbuttoning his shirt that he had started undoing after he took off his boots, and slipped it off, noting Emma's quick intake of breath. He smiled at her, letting her see how her reaction to seeing his bare chest made his body respond. He was grateful that after knowing each other for nearly fifteen years, ten of them as her husband, that she was just as passionately attractive to him, as he was to her. While his body urged him to take her in his arms and make love to her, Sam restrained from doing so. The discussion they were currently having was one, which would change their lives forever. "Do you have any objections to my takin' the position?"

"One." Emma said as she rose from the bench and turned to face him.

"What is it?"

Sam closed the distance between them, placing his hands on her shoulders.

"You and me workin' in the same environment."

Sam blinked. "Are you interested in workin' for MCAT too?"

Emma grinned at him. "Damn straight. It's true, the thought never crossed my mind to leave CID until Pop suggested it, but I have to admit it's one hell of an opportunity to pass up."

"It also ups the danger level both of us take. Are we willin' to risk leavin' our kids alone to be raised by someone else?"

Emma pulled away from him and walked over to the bed. She turned around to face Sam as he joined her. "I guess I'm finally seein' somethin' that Pop's been tryin' to tell me since Mama died. Our lives do not belong to us, but to Fate. What is supposed to happen will, regardless of our attempts to divert or stop them? No matter what occupation you or I have, there is always the possibility that one or both of us will die before our children are adults. All we can do is love them the best we can, as well as try to make the world a safer place for them to live in. That is somethin' we have always believed in, Sam. Workin' with MCAT is goin' to give us an even better opportunity to protect our children's futures', as well as further our personal crusades to eliminate some of the sewage permeatin' the world."

"Are you certain this is what you want?" Sam tucked a strand of curly red hair behind Emma's ear. "There's bound to be other unforeseen obstacles we haven't thought of yet that we'll have to face."

"Whatever may come, we'll face them together as we always have." Emma stated, tracing a finger along the waist of his jeans. "Let's go to bed."

"Are you propositionin' me, Mrs. Cain?"

"You betcha, Mr. Cain. Now get naked so I can have my wicked way with you." Emma's brown eyes twinkled mischievously as she climbed onto the bed, and began stripping out of her own clothes.

Sam had an advantage on her since it took fewer clothes to dress him than it did Emma, so he volunteered to help her out of her bra and panties. Emma did not turn his offer down and the two of them settled into a night of loving.

**Nine a.m. Texas Time**

Sam and Emma called Teaspoon early the next morning and told them their decisions. After he finished helping Rocco with the morning chores, Teaspoon called Travis at home. He shared pleasantries with Evie, before she handed the phone to her husband.

"I hope you have something good to tell me." Orrin growled into the phone.

"Good mornin' to you, too," Teaspoon smiled as he remembered Travis was like a bear just come out of hibernation before he had his first cup of coffee in the morning.

"Don't beat around the bush, Aloysius, just give me your answers."

Teaspoon's mile widened. "Not only am have I onboard, but Sam and Emma have thrown their towels into the ring, too."

"Good. That was the answer I was expecting to hear." Travis's voice held a cheerier tone to it and Teaspoon wondered if he had finished his coffee.

"When do you want us there?"

"I need you to come out to Denver so I can introduce you to Chris Larabee and the rest of the MCAT Alpha Team. Once we have squared away a few things, we will set to work on picking out potential candidates for your new team. Then you'll head back home, meet up with Sam, and together you'll do the interviews, and pick out the new team members."

"Sounds like a plan to me." Teaspoon said. "Give me at least a day to reschedule a couple of appointments I have this week with some buyers, and then I'm all yours."

"I'll set it up for Raphael Cordova or Josiah Sanchez to fly to San Antonio to pick you up."

Teaspoon whistled into the phone. "You have a personal plane at your disposal? What other high tech gizmos does MCAT have?"

"You'll have to wait and find out. I'll see you when you get here."

They exchanged goodbyes and then hung up. With his dogs running around his boots, Teaspoon headed to the barn to talk to Rocco about his impending trip to

**~~TYR~~**

**Denver, Colorado. **

Teaspoon was not only impressed with the sleek, top of the line aircraft MCAT had use of, but also of the way, Raphael Cordova handled it. Since he was the only passenger on the plane, Raphael invited Teaspoon to sit up in the cockpit with him, but strongly urged the older man not to touch any of the instruments unless he was asked to. Teaspoon took the request in stride, and instead led Raphael into a heated conversation about the heated dynamics of fighter jets of two thousand and eight and earlier versions used in Vietnam, Korea, and World War 2. By the time they landed at the MCAT complex in Denver, Teaspoon and Raphael had developed an easy rapport with each other.

Travis was waiting for him on the landing strip when he came down the ramp.

"Aloysius, it's good to see you." Orrin said as the two men shook hands.

Teaspoon cocked an eyebrow at him. "Good to see you too, Orry."

Orrin glowered at his friend. "Don't call me that!"

"I seem to recall tellin' you somethin' along those same lines regardin' your persistence in callin' me by my given name. From here on out, every time you call me Aloysius, I'm goin' to call you Orry."

"Slip ups are bound to happen now and again Al- Teaspoon, but I'll make more of an effort to call you by your nickname." Orrin turned toward the MCAT facility. "How was your flight?"

Teaspoon fell into step beside his friend. "Interestin'. Cordova is an intelligent fellow with flyin' skills I haven't seen outside of combat."

Orrin stopped walking and turned to look at Teaspoon. "Why do I have the sinking feeling I don't want to know the details of that comment?"

Teaspoon chuckled and slapped him on the back. "Maybe because it's best you don't. Why don't we head into your office and get down to business?"

"Sounds good to me."

After giving Teaspoon a preliminary tour of the bullpen, the two men had gone immediately to Travis's office to hash over the fine details of Hunter accepting the position as Administrative Chief of Operations for the San Antonio, Texas MCAT Unit.

**~~TYR~~**

"Hold up, Vin, I need to speak to you and Chris." Orrin called out as he and Teaspoon entered the bullpen.

Teaspoon's eyes raked over the tall, younger man in a long sleeve blue Henley, crisp jeans, and scuffed cowboy boots, as he and Orrin neared the two MCAT agents. There was a taller, giant of a man with graying hair, and keen blue eyes with him. Both wore an aura of intelligence, authority, and charisma that he'd witnessed only a few men possessing, and was suitably impressed. He watched as the two men shared a few soft words with one another, before the one called Vin moved to join him and Orrin, while the other disappeared into an office on the left hand side of the large room.

He greeted Vin with a curt nod, as he continued to scrutinize everything around him, taking note of the orderly way the room was set up, and the high tech computers that adorned each desk.

"Where's Chris?" He heard Travis ask the MCAT agent.

"Chris is out in the field today. What do you need, Sir?" Tanner replied.

"We need to talk." Without hesitation, Travis headed toward Vin's office, expecting him to follow.

Travis sat at Vin's desk, instructing him to shut the door and then be seated. "Captain Vin Tanner, meet Aloysius Hunter. He has top security clearance and will be observing MCAT procedures and operations for the next week. I had hoped to discuss this situation in more detail with Chris; however, you are more than capable of handling it in the Commander's absence. Give Hunter full access to whatever he requests and show him how the top response team in the country earned their reputation."

As Orrin made the introductions, Teaspoon eyed Tanner and could almost see the wheels in the younger man's mind turning, as he thought of a way in which to fulfill the command Travis had given him, without having his time hindered with a tagalong. Tanner had a surprise coming though. He was not going to sit behind a desk and sort through a bunch of files. He was a 'hands on' man who planned to take full advantage of this carte blanche opportunity to explore every aspect of MCAT operations and see just how the elite federal agency worked.

"Yes, Sir, we'll take good care of him." Tanner said, after Travis had finished speaking.

"I know you will," Travis stood. "I'll leave you two to get better acquainted." He turned to Hunter. "Aloysius," he grinned, "You know where I am if you need me." The other man glared at Travis and started to say something, but the Director made a hasty exit leaving the two men alone.

Hunter was the first one to break the silence. "Let's get one thing straight, Tanner. You don't call me Aloysius and I won't have to kick your ass. My name's Teaspoon, use it."

Vin leaned forward and spoke softly, "First off, you'd have a helluva headache if you tried to kick my ass, but since I wouldn't call a dog Aloysius, I reckon we don't have a problem." He grinned and offered Teaspoon his hand. "My name's Vin. What part of Texas are you from?"

Teaspoon responded with a firm handshake. "A place you probably never heard of, Schattel, Texas. Four generations of the Hunter family have called it home."

Tanner nodded. "Frio River country, I know the area. Welcome to Colorado." He moved over to his desk. "I can start you off readin' some of our case files if you want."

Teaspoon shook his head "Don't stick me with files or paperwork. I want to be where the action is."

"Unfortunately a lot of the action in this unit is in paperwork." Vin corrected him. "Case reports, personnel files, surveillance intelligence, etcetera, and of course plans to be submitted to Travis. All part of the territory." He ventured a guess, "I reckon you bein' here and bein' from Texas is no coincidence. You apparently have somethin' to do with Travis's plans for the MCAT expansion team in San Antonio. If so, you'll be workin' closely with Commander Larabee. He should be here in another couple of hours. Until then, make yourself at home and meet some of the team."

"Thanks, I think I'll do just that."

Vin pushed his chair back and stood. "I'll get you started by introducin' you to our Administrative Assistant, Gunny. If it happens in this office, she knows about it, and can point you to any department you want to observe."

"Lead on, Captain. I'm ready to take it all in."

Vin left him in the capable hands of Gunny, who proved to be a amicable guide. The tour of MCAT headquarters had been an extensive one. Teaspoon was impressed with the high tech gadgetry and the level of expertise of all the agents he was introduced to or he observed as they went about their business. There was an air of cool efficiency and pride in the jobs they were doing from the agents on both the Alpha and Bravo Teams. He was determined to make sure that the men and women who he and Sam selected for Charlie Team were just as efficient and held the same level of pride in the work that they did. He wouldn't accept anything less from the San Antonio based team, than he had from his Texas Rangers.

Teaspoon and Gunny returned to the bullpen about an hour or so later, and both were instantly aware that a level of tension filled it. There was also a buzz of activity around the Captain's office, and Teaspoon headed for it to see what was going on. He arrived at the door as Vin was coming out of it.

"What's going on?" he inquired.

"Larabee and Agent Coulter are in trouble. You can accompany us if you like, or stay here until we return. Choice is yours." Vin said.

"I'm all yours." Teaspoon told him.


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter Five**

Teaspoon sat in the back of the helicopter, behind JD. He was here to observe and that was exactly what he was doing. When Tanner told the unit that Larabee and Coulter were in trouble, they each did what had to be done without waiting for orders. He knew that Jackson was scheduled to work all night with the gang unit on one of MCAT's ongoing urgent cases, yet he was one of the first ones on board. It was an effortless and superb display of teamwork in action. Hunter was still working on understanding the dynamics of the unit and the character of each individual, but from what he had already seen, the next week promised to be damn interesting.

As Sanchez brought the helicopter around to circle the Carter property, Teaspoon glanced out of the window, taking in the rapidly approaching scenery below them, and because of the rural area, wondered just what kind of trouble that Larabee and his agent had gotten themselves into. He also noticed that the State police had gotten a jump on them and were already searching the property for the two MCAT agents.

He heard Tanner tell Sanchez to put the bird down, and a few moments later, all words were lost were lost as the ground beneath them erupted into a spectacular wall of flames, which reached dangerously close to the helicopter. Black smoke billowed toward the sky and then silently retracted as quickly as it appeared.

"Hold on!" He heard Josiah yell as he wrestled with the controls of the helicopter. The aircraft pitched and then rolled to one side as the concussion from the blast reached it. Teaspoon hung on, noting the varied expressions on the faces of the other men in the helicopter with him. Nobody said anything as they held on tight, but he was certain that they were all expecting any moment to be their last, just like he was.

Sanchez fought with the bucking aircraft, attempting to halt its rapid descent toward the fiery hell waiting to claim them. They were ten feet from the ground when the monster below released its grasp on the helicopter and Josiah was able to divert a disaster. Teaspoon let out the breath he'd been holding as the aircraft righted itself, and exchanged a relieved smile with the MCAT agents. He'd witnessed both Cordova and Sanchez's skills behind the controls firsthand now, and he could honestly say that after the last few moments, that Sanchez had edged his way to the top over Cordova.

Ducking the wind from the whirling blades, six men jumped from the helicopter before both skids touched the ground and spread out to help the shocked and wounded officers who were staggering away from the site of the explosion. While Alex, Teaspoon, and Justin dragged bodies away from the smoldering rubble, which once was a house, JD was on the phone ordering additional back up and the fire department to the scene. Josiah had been the last to disembark, after he shut down the helicopter systems. He then joined Nathan to help assess the injuries.

Teaspoon accompanied Tanner as he located the State Trooper who was in charge of the scene, shoved his MCAT credentials into the man's face and demanded." What the hell happened?"

Teaspoon's lips twitched as he took in the expression on the State Trooper's face in reaction to the Captain's question.

"Our units split up as soon as we arrived; we secured the perimeter, and then checked the outer buildings. Officer Davis took a team to secure the house. Evidently it was rigged to explode the moment anyone knocked on the door, Sir."

The State Trooper's words didn't bode well for the safety of the missing Larabee and the agent who'd been partnered with him. He wisely chose to keep his thoughts to himself as Tanner continued to question the State Trooper.

"Any sign of my missin' agents before the blast?" Vin was certain Chris and Kelli were not inside the rubble and still sensed Larabee's living presence somewhere nearby. That was the only thing holding him together at the moment.

"No, Sir. I'm sorry."

Vin nodded. "Tend to your men; more help is on the way."

Teaspoon watched as Tanner's gaze swept over the area, as if he was looking for something…anything to give him a clue to the location of the missing agents. He could remember doing the same thing a time or two over the course of his career. Any time a fellow officer was wounded or went missing, his hunting instincts had kicked in and he'd become like a bloodhound until the men were relocated. While he hoped that the two missing MCAT agents came out of this scenario alive and unharmed, he was very aware of the possibility that they'd been in the house when it exploded, and this could very well change over from a rescue to a recovery. Until that time happened, he was going to do whatever he could to assist Tanner and the rest of the MCAT agents in finding out what had become of Larabee and Agent Coulter.

By the time he and Tanner had rejoined the rest of his agents; several units of paramedics and the fire department were now on the scene. They learned that Sanchez had taken the most critically injured to the nearest trauma center by helicopter and additional troopers had arrived to assist with what was now a crime scene. Teaspoon listened as Tanner gave terse orders to his men on the scene; he was a man on a mission and somehow he knew that the other man wouldn't settle for anything less than a positive outcome. He was waiting for his own orders, when he witnessed a strange look come over Tanner's face, and then the other man was signaling to his team to gather close.

"Chris and Kel are trapped under this mess. Smoke is seeping into the underground room and the walls are unstable. We need to get them out as quickly as possible. Let's get to work."

Surprise colored Teaspoon's features. He did not see how Tanner could know any of the information he had just given the other MCAT agents. He'd dogged him the entire time they'd landed on the scene, and no one had given the MCAT captain anything new to go on. He expected one of his team members to question him about what he'd said, but none of them. They took him at his word and fell into follow instructions to the letter. Teaspoon decided that he could do no less, even though he was uncertain about the validity of the information Tanner had revealed to his teammates.

He worked alongside the MCAT agents, approving of the fluidity in which the team members worked together. The more time he spent with these men, the more he found to admire, and his approval wasn't something he gave lightly. He picked up a concrete boulder and threw it off to the side as the pile of debris began to diminish. He caught Agent Dunne watching him with almost an anxious look on his face. "Son, it's not polite to stare." He grinned when JD's face flushed with embarrassment.

JD wasn't certain a man of Mister Hunter's age should be doing such strenuous activity and was concerned for the older man the same as he would be if Orrin Travis was out there. "Sorry. It's just that this is really hard work and with you not as young as the rest of us. I thought… Aww hell…I meant…"

Teaspoon chuckled, but didn't let him finish his sentence. "I'm not goin' to keel over any time soon, Son. Why don't you set your mind back on to the business at hand and stop worryin' about this old man?"

JD grinned back at Teaspoon, relieved that he had not been offended.

Working through the heat left from the explosion, Vin, Alex, and Justin were closest to the entrance. It took backbreaking effort to move all the debris by hand and their muscles were already feeling the strain from removing pieces of what was left of the house. In spite of the forty degree chill in the air, sweat rolled down their faces while they labored.

Other members of MCAT arrived and Teaspoon was relieved. Digging was hard work, and in the heat it was even more difficult. Fortunately, with the other extra muscle, and a canine named Bandit, they soon had Commander Larabee and Agent Coulter freed from their tomb and being looked after by medical personnel. Teaspoon stood off to the side catching his breath and sipping on the bottle of Gatorade that one of the EMT's had handed to him, and watched as the MCAT agents were reunited with their CO and fellow agent. He watched with fascination the apparent silent communications between Tanner and Larabee. The more he was around this MCAT team the more he wanted to know them better. It was clear to him that he had a lot to learn about these men and women, who Travis spoke of with such great esteem.

"They do that all the time; have since they first met one another." Josiah Sanchez came to stand next to Hunter. "Amazing isn't it? "

"It is at that," Teaspoon replied.

"Come on, I'll introduce you to Commander Larabee before Nathan has me whisk him off to the hospital." Josiah said.

"All right."

As Teaspoon walked beside Sanchez toward the ambulances, he caught sight of tender looks being exchanged between Tanner and Coulter, followed by an embrace. Josiah, realizing his companion was no longer keeping pace beside him, stopped walking as well, and turned back to see what had caught Teaspoon's attention. Sanchez smiled.

"They are married." He said, rejoining Teaspoon.

"How's that affect them working together?" Hunter inquired.

"It doesn't," Sanchez said. "If you want to know more, I'm afraid you'll have to talk to Vin yourself."

Teaspoon made a note to himself to ask Tanner about his and Agent Coulter's relationship. Maybe he had insight that would benefit Sam and Emma as they embarked on this new journey with him. When they reached Larabee's side, Josiah made introductions, and then left the two men alone to speak.

"Hunter," Chris acknowledged the introduction. "I'm looking forward to discussing details with you, but I believe I'm being shanghaied to Denver Memorial first. In the meantime, Vin, Josiah, JD, Ezra or Nathan can answer most of your questions."

Teaspoon nodded. "Let the doc fix you up. We'll have plenty of time to talk once you're released for duty."

"Plan on it being tomorrow morning," Chris told him and began issuing orders to his men, while Teaspoon looked on. Once he was finished, Larabee finally allowed the EMT's to put him into the ambulance. Sanchez offered him a ride back to headquarters in the helicopter, and Teaspoon gratefully took him up on his offer.

By the time Teaspoon reached his hotel, it was growing late. He made a quick call to Sam and filled him in on how things were going, before he spent a moments talking to his grandchildren and Emma. He ordered room service when he hung up with them, and went and took a hot shower while he waited for his supper. He ate heartily of the steak and potatoes dinner, and then climbed into bed, and fell fast asleep.


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter Six **

**MCAT Office-The next morning. **

Chris was in misery. He hurt everywhere and those blasted crutches were a pain in the ass. No one had any lead on "Bitsy" or Carter. Additionally, with Buck gone, Ezra undercover, and Vin off with Kelli, the work was piling up on his desk, and he still had a meeting with Hunter. He had spent the past two hours in Travis's office going over plans for the new units and being prepped for his new role of Associate Director of MCAT Operations. Apparently it was not enough for him to be Commander of one unit, now he had the added responsibility of overseeing three. Granted, it was a supervisory position and he would not have to be involved in the day to day running of the teams. Each would have their own SAC, Special Agent in Charge, and thanks to Hunter's role for the Texas unit, Chris would not have to travel back and forth to San Antonio. Nevertheless their success or failure was on his shoulders. Slowly making his way back to his own office his dark mood emanated before him and everyone moved out of his way.

When Hunter had arrived earlier, instead of being secluded away in an office going through paperwork, he had suggested that for the next couple of days he be allowed to shadow the senior agents as they went about their daily jobs. While he would not be an active field agent for the San Antonio branch of MCAT, he still wanted to know the ins and outs of the various departments within the main unit. Once Chris Larabee had given him the all clear, Teaspoon had chosen to follow Josiah Sanchez around. His view of the bullpen from the agent's desk afforded him the opportunity to observe the reactions of the others when Larabee entered the area.

Josiah stopped going over the intricacies of the criminal mind when he realized he had lost Teaspoon's attention. The large man glanced up in time to see Chris finally make it to his office and winced as the door slammed shut behind the MCAT CO. "Did someone forget to mention that Chris is a tad bit temperamental at times?"

His question focused Teaspoon's attention on Larabee. Teaspoon found it amusing to observe the other MCAT agents give their CO a wide berth as he awkwardly maneuvered himself through the bullpen to his office. It was apparent by the scowl on Larabee's face the man was in a sour mood. Given the multitude of injuries he had sustained in the incident at the Carter place the day before, he was certainly in a world of hurt and should have been taking it easy at home. Instead, here he was working, and while Teaspoon admired Larabee's dedication to his job, he couldn't help shaking his head at the foolishness of youth. He answered Josiah, "No, but I think I just got my first glimpse."

"Hunter, you haven't seen or heard nothing yet," Josiah corrected with a wide grin. "Larabee's been known to bring grown men to their knees with just his glare."

Teaspoon chuckled. "That must be a sight to see."

"It is." Josiah agreed, "So long as Chris's anger isn't directed at you. Now, where were we...?"

As the other man started back on his diatribe regarding the criminal mind, Teaspoon heard Larabee bellow, "Hunter, my office."

Josiah looked up from his paperwork and grinned. "Ah, the Larabee summons. "Don't worry; usually his bark is worse than his bite."

"Usually?" Teaspoon asked. "What about the other times?"

"You don't want to know," Josiah shook his head. He was smiling though as he watched Hunter leave to room.

**Larabee's office**

Hunter was barely seated before Chris began. "I've read your jacket and agree with Orrin about your qualifications. You obviously have the experience to lead and you're more than qualified to handle putting a team together."

"I hear a 'but' in there," Teaspoon's brow arched as he leaned forward in his chair. "Just spit it out, Larabee. What is it you think I don't know?"

Chris studied the man in front of him for a moment before answering," Your history of military service, being a DPS Officer, and a Texas Rangers is excellent. But they all have one thing in common; they are all traditional, established institutions with defined procedures. MCAT is…different. We have a lot more flexibility and room to maneuver than any other agency outside the CIA. More than that, being an MCAT agent is not just a job, it becomes a way of life. Our work affects our families, disrupts normal routines, can be extremely dangerous, and is also one of the most important positions any of us will ever have the opportunity to hold. We push the envelope hard, and often. The past three years have taught me that the only thing to expect is the unexpected."

Teaspoon nodded, "After bein' here for only a couple of days, I already sensed that. I have also followed your progress since MCAT began. You've been through the fire and fought against many obstacles, some from within your own team. Yet you've managed to create an extraordinary unit. While it is well-organized, successful, and imposin', this team is made up of agents who really want to make a difference, are the best at what they do, and who care about one another. You, Sir, are responsible for that and it's what I hope to duplicate for the Texas team."

"I was fortunate enough to start with a core team consisting of men who are the best I've had the privilege of working with." Chris stated proudly.

"Team seven," Hunter acknowledged. "Their reputation is legendary. I may not be able to duplicate them, but I'm positive I can come damn close."

"Then let's make it happen, "Chris answered. He liked the attitude he was hearing from Hunter, but seriously doubted he could ever come close to matching his 'Magnificent Seven'. "Do you have anyone in mind to lead the new team?"

Grinning, Teaspoon reached across, picked up a folder from a pile on the corner of Chris's desk, and passed it to him. "As a matter of fact, I do. I took the liberty of leavin' his file here this mornin'. His name is Sam Cain."

"I've already read his file and I approve of your choice, "Chris said. He picked up a large stack of folders, passing them to Teaspoon. "Josiah has already selected some possible candidates. These personnel files give you a good start in finding who you need. In fact, I think you and Sam could begin putting your team together as soon as possible."

Teaspoon nodded. "I'll have these couriered to Sam so he can start reading through them. I plan on staying here until the end of the week. "

Setting Sam's file on top of his inbox, Chris agreed. "Stay as long as you like and talk to whoever you need to, but there are some pressing matters I need to tend to."

Teaspoon relaxed. "Those pressing matters personal or work related?"

"Work, guns and gangs," Chris shook his head. "Never a good combination, but someone wants to push it. I want that someone." A knock on the door interrupted him. "Enter."

"Chris I…," JD stopped when he saw Teaspoon. "Sorry, I didn't know you were busy."

"Come on in, JD. What have you got for me?"

Handing Chris a stack of folders, he explained, "The forensic report on the bomb is on top along with a detailed workup on Lorene Fowler. I also finished the backgrounds on everyone who works at West End Junior High. The ones I thought you would be interested in are listed first and then the rest. I duplicated a set for Ezra and he'll be picking them up after school closes for the day." JD fidgeted while he debated with himself about saying more in front of Teaspoon.

"What else?" Chris prodded.

Taking a chance on igniting the infamous Larabee temper, JD blurted out, "Chris, you look like hell and should be home resting. We can handle things here and Josiah is ready to take you to the ranch."

His first impulse was to snap and say he was fine, but his body said differently. Sighing deeply, Chris nodded, "Tell Josiah I'll be out in five minutes and JD…thanks for putting in the extra time on this one."

JD nodded, not sure how Chris knew he'd put in the extra hours last night, but not surprised that he did. Chris always found out everything, one way or another. "If I find out more, I'll give you a call." He left to give Josiah the message.

Teaspoon observed the interaction between Larabee and Dunne and laughed. "I was certain you were too stubborn to give in, but I'm glad you decided you weren't superman after all."

"Stubborn, I'll admit to, but not stupid," Chris grinned. "Another twenty-four hours and I'll be fine. Have JD give you a crash course with CASSIE. It's been an invaluable tool for us and will be for you too." He gathered the files he wanted to go over with Vin and prepared to leave.

"I think I'll do just that," Teaspoon stood. "Let me carry your briefcase, so you can concentrate on those crutches." He followed Chris out of the office and handed the case to Josiah. "See y'all tomorrow."

Chris and Josiah headed toward the door while Teaspoon sought out JD.

**Later that afternoon. **

Vin finished his conversation with Josiah and left the profiler's office in search of JD. He found him sitting in front of his computer attempting to explain some of the intricacies of Cassie's program to Teaspoon. When he neared JD's desk he caught a glimpse of the puzzled expression on Hunter's face and stifled a laugh. Noticing Vin's approach, Teaspoon and JD glanced away from the monitor and focused their attention on him.

The older man caught the smirk Vin quickly tried to hide, and couldn't help but smile back. "I do good to remember what my password is when usin' a computer, all this newfangled mumbo jumbo is beyond my skill level. "

"That's why we keep him around." Vin patted JD on the shoulder. "We don't understand it either, but CASSIE is an invaluable tool we can't do without."

"Nice to know I'm wanted for something other than my good looks," JD quipped.

Vin rolled his eyes skyward. "Are you channelin' Buck again?"

"Yep, a**nd I'll keep reminding you…now that Buck isn't here...the role of devilishly handsome rogue falls on my shoulders****.**"**JD's grin was wide as he chuckled and ducked a swipe from Vin.**

Hunter observed the easy banter between the acting CO and the MCAT agent and recognized that like the other members of the founding team, there was more than just a professional relationship between the two men. During his career in law enforcement he had witnessed the working dynamics of quite a few squads, and none of them could hold a candle to the way this unit interacted with one another. It was a rare thing to witness.

All banter disappeared and Vin became serious. "JD, I need you to do a spider search for me. Start with Royce Carter and Lorene Fowler, cross check with Carlos Chavez. Then take what you find and run it against any connection to upcomin' weapons shipments by the military." He nodded and smiled. "Let's see who or what we can snag in our web."

"You got it, Vin." JD turned back to his monitor and as Teaspoon and Vin looked on, his fingers practically flew over the keyboard as he typed in the names of their three suspects into CASSIE.

"Score," JD exclaimed with an enthusiasm that made Teaspoon chuckle. "There's a large shipment of munitions scheduled to leave Ft. Carson on the 21st."

"Anythin' else?" Vin inquired.

"It appears that Fowler and Chavez have an interesting connection."

"Really?" Teaspoon was intrigued at how fast Agent Dunne had been able to come up with this viable bit of information.

"Yep." JD turned in his chair to look at both Vin and Teaspoon." Lorene "Bitsy" Fowler is the daughter of Louise Fowler Chavez, Carlos' ex-wife."

"Keep diggin', JD," Vin ordered. "I want to know every detail you can find on any of 'em. I especially want to know what Chavez has been doin' since the last time we tangled with him and who he's been doin' it with."

Teaspoon studied Tanner and asked, "You know somethin' or just have a hunch?"

"Right now it's just a hunch, but you never know," he shrugged. "You wanna take a trip over to the lab?"

"I'm game," Teaspoon readily agreed. He hadn't had an opportunity to check out the forensics division of the MCAT headquarters until now and was anxious to see how it was set-up. He and Vin walked over to the hanger which housed the MCAT lab.

To say he was impressed with the facilities was an understatement. As he followed Tanner into the building adjoining the HQ, Teaspoon found himself gazing around in wide eyed fascination. The cavernous room was separated into sections by glass partitions that allowed open access to anyone with MCAT authority to view. He easily picked out the area setup for autopsies to be performed by the big red warning on the door. Another section held equipment which he identified as being used to work with fingerprints. Tanner pointed out the area where all manner of DNA was tested and recorded, as well as the ballistics area and incendiary forensics. Whoever had engineered the design of the lab, as well as the rest of the buildings and training facilities that made up the whole of MCAT headquarters was ingenious.

"There's Nathan, "Vin nodded to the right and quickly joined Jackson. "Hey Nate, what have you found out about the bomb?"

Nathan greeted Teaspoon and Vin before explaining his finding. "Apparently the explosives were meant to destroy the entire underground storage area. We were lucky it failed or Chris and Kelli would have been buried alive."

Vin felt a shiver race down his spine when he thought about what could have been, but he forced himself to shrug it off. "So it was not newly installed?"

Shaking his head, Nathan picked up a scale model of the Carter property. "I would say the explosives were placed there about the same time the storage area was constructed. At least five…maybe six years ago," he said as he pointed out their location on the model. "Every bomb maker has a signature and when I reconstructed this one I ran it against known explosive devices, I found a match." He set the model back on the table and handed Vin a sheet of paper. "This bomb was made by Ray Montoya; he's been associated with Carlos Chavez for the past ten years."

"Ray Montoya, now that's a name I've run across a couple of times back when I was with the Rangers," Teaspoon commented as he studied the scale model Jackson held up. "He's a slippery snake who has slithered his way through prison bars more times than I can count."

"He's about ready to get a rude awakenin' then," Vin spoke up." Nathan, keep at it an' let me know what else you turn up that can tie Montoya into all of this."

Teaspoon nodded and gave the lab one final look before following Vin out and back into the bullpen. Vin headed straight for the CASSIE station where JD was still working on the assignment he gave him earlier.

"JD, add Ray Montoya to your list," Vin instructed him. "Put out an APB on him and then get me all his connections to Chavez, Carter, and Fowler."

"You got it," JD jotted the name down and began to work his magic with CASSIE. He made a mental note to call Casey and let her know he would probably be home late…again.


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 7**

**Holiday Inn~8:00 a.m**.

Teaspoon packed his essentials kit into his suitcase, shut the lid, and snapped the locks into place. He gave a quick perusal to the rest of the room to make sure he hadn't forgotten anything, before leaving the room. He stopped off at the front desk to give the hotel clerk his room key and to make sure there were no extra charges on the bill he needed to pay for, before heading out to his rental car. MCAT had covered all of his expenses as promised, even the long distance calls he had made most nights to his kids.

By eight-thirty he was at MCAT headquarters. It was somewhat of a shock to him that he found he was going to miss this ragtag band of federal agents. Chris Larabee was a remarkable man who had done the impossible. He had taken men and women from diverse backgrounds and cultures, with unique personalities and skills and created the best damn law enforcement unit he had ever witnessed. They were underpaid and underappreciated for all the excellent work that they did on a daily basis, and most certainly gave every bit of their time, energy, and devotion to making this country a better place for all to live in.

He entered the bullpen and caught sight of JD. The MCAT agent's face was battered and bruised. A black ring encircled both eyes which had puffy lids, making JD look like a raccoon. There was a band of bruising lining Dunne's jaw and his top lip was swollen, while the other was cracked and cut. "Lord, son, what the hell happened to you?"

JD cracked a smile by way of greeting, and immediately regretted it as pain shot through his mouth. "Got into a little fight yesterday."

"A little fight?" Teaspoon's eyebrow arched. "It looks like you wrestled with a gorilla and lost."

Thinking about the men he and Vin had tangled with the day before, JD had to agree with Hunter's analogy of their opponents. "Actually it was more than one. I hear you're leaving us today?"

"Yep," Teaspoon nodded. "I just need to see Larabee first."

"He's in his office with Vin." JD told him. "They're expecting you."

"You take care of yourself son," Teaspoon said and continued through the bullpen. By the time he reached the commanding officer's office, he had essentially said his good byes to the rest of the team.

Gunny gestured for him to go on in. Teaspoon opened the door and stepped inside. He took one look at Vin Tanner's battered and bruised face and couldn't help chuckling, " I see you've been wrestlin' with gorillas as well."

Vin cocked a questioning eyebrow at him, as Chris's smirked.

"Vin and JD have an amazing talent for attracting trouble, and practice using it on a regular basis. It's also called how to give your CO an ulcer."

"I've had a few men in my command over the years that had the same talent." Teaspoon grinned, and extended his hand to Larabee. "I just stopped by to say my good-byes. Orrin has graciously arranged for the MCAT jet to fly me home."

Chris stood, steadying himself against his desk, and shook Hunter's hand. "Good luck with your search for a team. You have some excellent candidates to choose from and I'm looking forward to working with you."

"You'll have my report every Friday by noon." Teaspoon said, picking up his bag. "By the time May rolls around, I'll have the second best team in the country assembled, ready for you to train."

"Second best?" Chris smiled. "Did you forget we'll be assembling another team here in Denver?"

"Nope, didn't forget it, just statin' fact." Raising his hand to the brim of his hat, he tipped it to both MCAT agents, and headed out the door, calling over his shoulder. "See y'all in May."

**San Antonio Airport**

Sam leaned against the wall of the airport, arms folded, and ankles crossed. He affected the nonchalant pose in an effort to set the other airport patrons at ease with his presence, but was not certain he was had succeeded. He had caught more than one double take from passengers, security, and other personnel once they spotted the gun on his hip. Some were observant enough to catch sight of the tin star pinned to his shirt, but most gave him a wide berth, something he found quite amusing.

He was eager to talk to Teaspoon and discuss how things had gone in Denver. Ever since Teaspoon had told him and Emma of Orrin Travis's offer, Sam had had MCAT on the brain. Until now, he had never considered leaving the Rangers. Being asked to take a position with MCAT was too good of an opportunity to pass up. Emma, too, was chomping at the bits to find out whether there was a place on MCAT for the both of them before they notified their superiors that they were accepting new positions.

Sam glanced down at his watch for a third time since he had arrived at the airport. Teaspoon's flight was at least forty minutes late and the airport didn't even have the courtesy to keep updating him on the expected arrival time. He absentmindedly played with the keys from his rental car Travis had provided for him while he stayed in Denver. Having a vehicle at his disposal was something he appreciated very much, but he missed his reliable old Ford truck. He stood and went over to check the status board. It was now Eight o'clock

Airport officials had initially told him flight 2345 was expected to be fifteen minutes late, but hadn't given him or any of the others waiting anymore details. If the plane didn't arrive in the next ten minutes, he was going to make his irritation and concern known to the appropriate people. He accepted airport workers were a harried lot as they waited on demanding passengers anxious to make their individual flights, but still they had a responsibility to keep people like himself informed on all changes in arrival status of incoming flights.

Ten minutes were up and he wanted some answers. He started toward the courtesy desk, when suddenly the loudspeaker overhead blared to life in a roar of static that made him wince. A female voice cut through the static and announced that flight 2345 was arriving, but passengers would be delayed in disembarking due to an onboard emergency. Concern flooded through Teaspoon in light of this new information. He wondered if there had been some kind of hi-jacking attempt onboard the flight. Had an obnoxious passenger caused an altercation that ended with another passenger or crew member being hurt? Or had a passenger simply become ill during the flight and needed medical attention? He supposed he would find out in the next couple of minutes.

He watched the plane taxi up to the gate and the rolling hallway attached to the exit. Emergency personnel wheeling a stretcher between them, parted the crowd of people waiting for passengers, and hurried through the doorway leading down into the attached corridor. Several moments passed before the emergency personnel reappeared with an elderly man strapped aboard the stretcher. An oxygen mask was affixed over his nose and mouth and one of the EMT'S carried an IV bag in one hand as they rushed through the crowd toward an awaiting ambulance outside. Visibly shaken, an elderly woman who Sam supposed was the spouse of the ill man was led out of the corridor by a man he easily recognized. A young couple burst through the crowd and hurried toward the older woman. Teaspoon's warm smile as he handed over the lady to her relatives had a reassuring effect on them

Sam shook his head. Leave it to his father-in-law to become involved in an emergency crisis twenty thousand feet in the air. He watched as Teaspoon scanned the crowd looking for him. Sam let out a shrill whistle that caught Teaspoon's attention immediately and earned him disapproving looks from people standing near him. Shrugging his shoulders, he dismissed the stares and waited for the older man to join him.

The two men greeted each other warmly.

"It's good to be home," Teaspoon commented as he and Sam headed toward baggage claim. "How are things at home? Emma and the kids okay? Are my grandkids takin' good care of Bowie, Travis, and Crockett?" Teaspoon bombarded him with questions. He hated to admit it, but he was homesick.

Sam chuckled. "Things are fine at home; Emma and my mom have things under control. Mindy and Austin have been spendin' a lot of time with the dogs, makin' sure they don't get too lonesome, and Ramon has been staying at your place to care for the stock and help out wherever he could be of use."

"That boy of mine should have never left our land in the first place," Teaspoon scoffed. "It's as much his, as it is Emma and yours."

"Tell me about Chris Larabee," Sam changed the subject, not wanting to get Teaspoon started on how he disapproved of his brother-in-law moving off Hunter land and into a place of his own. "What is he like?" Sam listened as Teaspoon retrieved his suitcase from the baggage carousal.

"Chris Larabee is a helluva man. He is a straight forward; no rules barred S.O.B who knows his stuff. He doesn't expect anyone on his team to give more than he himself is willin' to give, and that is usually one hundred and ten percent." Teaspoon told him as they headed out to the parking lot.

High praise indeed coming from Teaspoon, Sam thought as he took in the information about MCAT'S commanding officer. Teaspoon was a shrewd judge of character and the fact that he highly approved of Chris Larabee told him a lot. He had a feeling he was going to like the man just as much as his father-in-law did.

On the way back to the Hunter ranch, the two men discussed MCAT. By the time Sam pulled into the driveway, he was even more intrigued about meeting the entire unit. As Captain of the San Antonio Division of the Texas Rangers, he was fully aware of the difficulties which came with leadership positions. His own unit of Rangers was a varied mix of personalities, cultures, and backgrounds who, for the most part, worked well together, but upon occasion there had been incidents in which he had had to intervene. Sam knew that forming Charlie Team into a cohesive unit would come with its own unique challenges, especially in the beginning, but he was confident it could be done, and he was just the man to do it.


End file.
